Dimarzio .vs Seymour Duncan?

[cellardweller]

What's up y'all...here is the scoop;

I've had my Solo 50 head (v.2) mothballed for a while, but let 'er off the chain this week.

I plugged in my Schecter C7 (w/Seymour Duncan JB ...I think) and it sounded like complete butt.

I then plugged in the ol Ibanez w/ Dimarzio evolution PU and it sounded MUCH better...brighter...more definition and less mud. It was the band-aid/quick fix.

I enjoy playing the Schecter, but I just can't seem to make it bright enough without fizzing out...if ya know what I mean!



I don't recall having this problem in the past, and was wondering if someone might be able to offer some advice....

Thanks.



*EDIT*
Possibly noteworthy also; I don't recall hearing such a pronoucned/extreme difference when playing through solid state amps/modeler's.

I mean the DRUMBER could tell the difference and preferred the ibanez!!!

 

[Chris McKinley]

You didn't mention how you have the amp set. The Evolution is known for being on the edge of too much brightness to the point of stridency. If your amp is set up to produce a somewhat dark tone, then it's not surprising that the Evolution would sound just about right, while a more classically mid-focused pickup like the JB would sound too dark.

 

[Rocky]

If you cant get a JB to sound bright it isnt the pickup that is the problem

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

The JB is a very odd pickup...you said you're playing a C7...I owned the guitar at one point, and the JB always seemed like it was choking...it was piercy and harsh, but had no fluidity or crunch...just a flat thud.

Basically, I don't like the JB in this application in the slightest.

You're also using completely different tonewoods....more than likely mahogany and basswood. They will really change how the pups react.

You might be surprised on how well the Evo will balance with Mahogany.

 

[Chris McKinley]

The JB was never meant for a 7-string anyway. It was meant for medium-to-dense woods like maple and mahogany, and it was meant to give a little more "oomph" to the mids in those guitars through Marshall amps. Just ask Seymour himself. Also, remember that the pickup is named after Seymour's impression of what Jeff Beck's tone is all about, which has nothing whatsoever to do with today's modern, detuned metal.

The Evolution was designed as a pickup that can capture all the strange and subtle high-frequency noises that Steve Vai makes while playing lead, period. As such, it ought to be almost irritatingly treble-heavy in most rock/metal-oriented amps when played by anybody other than someone of Steve's caliber in controlling that kind of tone.

The JB is not meant to be particularly high-gain. The Evolution has surprisingly crappy sustain characteristics for a pickup so strong in the highs. Once again, that leads me to question the amp setup that cellardweller is playing through. Under most circumstances, the Evo should sound almost shrill, while the JB should sound tonally balanced, yet noticeably under-powered for today's applications.

 

[nitrous2400]

jbs really dont respond as well as other pickups do for lower tunings with a 7 especially if your playing heavy music.

Id say get emgs, I can personally vouch for them. if you like a brighter sounding pickup with tons of gain, articulation and attitude like i do, than the 81-7 would be perfect. I run the 6 string version in my guitars and im tuned way low, so im sure you'll do just fine with them. you should def check em out theres also a 707 pickup which is similar to a 6string 85 p/u which is a bit fatter, rounder and less bright.

If your against active pickups id say look into bareknuckle nailbomb pickups, theyre a great, aggressive passive 7 string pickup so just know theres other options out there other than sd and dimarzio.

 

[Rocky]

The JB was never meant for a 7-string anyway. It was meant for medium-to-dense woods like maple and mahogany, and it was meant to give a little more "oomph" to the mids in those guitars through Marshall amps. Just ask Seymour himself. Also, remember that the pickup is named after Seymour's impression of what Jeff Beck's tone is all about, which has nothing whatsoever to do with today's modern, detuned metal.

The Evolution was designed as a pickup that can capture all the strange and subtle high-frequency noises that Steve Vai makes while playing lead, period. As such, it ought to be almost irritatingly treble-heavy in most rock/metal-oriented amps when played by anybody other than someone of Steve's caliber in controlling that kind of tone.

The JB is not meant to be particularly high-gain. The Evolution has surprisingly crappy sustain characteristics for a pickup so strong in the highs. Once again, that leads me to question the amp setup that cellardweller is playing through. Under most circumstances, the Evo should sound almost shrill, while the JB should sound tonally balanced, yet noticeably under-powered for today's applications.

I have heard a lot of slamming heavy bands using the JB and it sounds great. Not sure how 16 output could be called 'underpowered' either.

 

[tetsubin]

The JB was never meant for a 7-string anyway. It was meant for medium-to-dense woods like maple and mahogany, and it was meant to give a little more "oomph" to the mids in those guitars through Marshall amps. Just ask Seymour himself. Also, remember that the pickup is named after Seymour's impression of what Jeff Beck's tone is all about, which has nothing whatsoever to do with today's modern, detuned metal.

The Evolution was designed as a pickup that can capture all the strange and subtle high-frequency noises that Steve Vai makes while playing lead, period. As such, it ought to be almost irritatingly treble-heavy in most rock/metal-oriented amps when played by anybody other than someone of Steve's caliber in controlling that kind of tone.

The JB is not meant to be particularly high-gain. The Evolution has surprisingly crappy sustain characteristics for a pickup so strong in the highs. Once again, that leads me to question the amp setup that cellardweller is playing through. Under most circumstances, the Evo should sound almost shrill, while the JB should sound tonally balanced, yet noticeably under-powered for today's applications.

I have heard a lot of slamming heavy bands using the JB and it sounds great. Not sure how 16 output could be called 'underpowered' either.

Yup! The JB is a great pickup for 7-string guitars. Its moderately high-output, slighly cut bass response, pronounced midrange and treble help cut through and keep the low B from getting muddy.
It's all about the combination: (body wood + pickup + pickup height + strings + amp + amp settings + tubes) * taste.

 

[tetsubin]

@cellardweller: By the way: How long have you played the strings on each the guitars? It sounds like you've just turned to the "old" Ibanez after having played the Schecter a lot. That could mean that the strings on the Ibanez are quite new compared to the Schecter. If that's the case it's just normal that you have to turn up the treble and presence on the amp with the Schecter - with the result of added fizz and fuzz.

 

[cellardweller]

I had been using the ibanez as a traveling guitar and kept the Schecter at home, so although the ibanez has technically "newer" strings they have many more hours of play on them.

The amp settings as I found them were from a different room/setting, so I just put everything at 12 o'clock and started over.
Just couldn't dial out the "fizz and fuzz".

I have new strings, so I'll just try changing them out on the Schecter.



Unfortunately, this thing called life has pulled me away once again, as my Grandma in AZ is not doing well....

Thanks for all of the great replies.

 

[Ang3lus]

i used to swear by the JB or Super distortion
but now
bareknuckle warpig is my cup of tea
www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk

amazing pickups
also lindy fralin makes some amazing buckers, but he doesn't make any high gain ones i think

 

[Chris McKinley]

Hey guys, I like the JB. It's one of my favorite Seymours, although I like the tone of the Custom Custom a little bit more. Certainly I like it better than the Dimarzio Evolution, and as I said, I'm more of a Dimarzio guy. It's just that with the youngin's these days, anything that isn't pushing 16 amps is underpowered for them.

Personally, I'd rather run a JB or a Pearly Gates into a clean boost and get both better tone and more power, but that's just me.

 

[aarona]

thank you for the posts on the JB! I don't know how this pickup has become the standard bridge pickup for metal. There are so many better choices out there. The Dimarzio Tone Zone, for one example.

 

[Rocky]

I would call the Tone Zone the Mud Zone if I were working for Dimarzio (something I would never do by the way) and feel the JB is 100X the pickup the TZ is.

For Dimarzio i think that the Breed is a good one.

 

[cellardweller]

Hmmm...maybe I should try again to get a usable tone by moving the pup closer to the strings....

 

[ellem52]

BLANKET STATEMENT AHEAD

DiMarzio's are loud and brash

Seymour Duncan's are warm and creamy

Put Seymour's in your Les Paul/PRS guitars
Put DiMarzio's in your Ibanez/Pointy guitars

(It doesn't matter what you put in your Fender's :ducks

 

[cellardweller]

(It doesn't matter what you put in your Fender's :ducks

I put salami in my friends.... {RUNS}

 

[Turumbar82]

BLANKET STATEMENT AHEAD

DiMarzio's are loud and brash

Seymour Duncan's are warm and creamy

Put Seymour's in your Les Paul/PRS guitars
Put DiMarzio's in your Ibanez/Pointy guitars

(It doesn't matter what you put in your Fender's :ducks

I kind of agree.

I have a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in my Epiphone G-400 paired with a 59 in the neck and it sounds very creamy and warm.

My Xiphos has Dimarzio D'activator. It's much more in your face.

So Seymour Duncan in my Gibson style guitar and Dimarzio in my pointy Ibanez guitar. I like both because both guitar cover a lot of ground in different sounds

 

[decosimo]

BLANKET STATEMENT AHEAD

DiMarzio's are loud and brash

Seymour Duncan's are warm and creamy

Put Seymour's in your Les Paul/PRS guitars
Put DiMarzio's in your Ibanez/Pointy guitars

(It doesn't matter what you put in your Fender's :ducks

yeah that has been my experience as well. the dimarzio single coils are ok but humbuckers are harsh. SD for me.

 

[GodBlessTexas]

thank you for the posts on the JB! I don't know how this pickup has become the standard bridge pickup for metal. There are so many better choices out there. The Dimarzio Tone Zone, for one example.

The JB was the standard bridge pickup for 80's metal. For today, it's mostly EMG's and now SD Blackouts when it comes to high gain/extreme metal. That said, I love the JB in some situations, and hate it in others. Same with the DiMarzio Tone Zone and Evolution. Sometimes a pickup works well in one guitar and not another, even when they have same tonewoods.